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LAHORE:
The Punjab government has decided to make electronic voting machines (EVMs) mandatory for the upcoming local government elections across the province.
Chief Minister Usman Buzdar approved amendments to the Local Bodies Act to make the EVMs compulsory for voting in the local bodies polls. As per the new ordinance, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is bound to include EVMs in the elections.
Buzdar said the parliament had passed a law regarding the EVMs and now the Punjab government will ensure voting through the machines as well.
After the new amendments by the Punjab government, sources speculate there could be a delay in the local government elections as it wouldn’t be possible for the ECP to conduct elections in March next year.
Read EVMs, e-voting, data centre to cost Rs59b
On Saturday, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar approved the Punjab Local Government Act 2021, paving way for local government elections on a party basis.
The local bodies were restored by the Punjab government on the orders of the Supreme Court after a 25-month long suspension.
The top court had declared Section 3 of the Local Government Act unconstitutional and annulled the Punjab government move to dissolve the local bodies prematurely.